Out of the Frying Pan
by Admiral Zaal'Koris
Summary: Writing challenge for Full-Paragon. Quarian First Contact. Approx. 1800 years before the Morning War.
1. Chapter 1

A Day to Remember

**197 CE, Rannoch, Ceystiic**

Rel'Koris's elaborate, violet prime minister robes were being smoothed down by her mate, Atin, in an attempt to make her as presentable as possible. He was trying to soothe both of their frayed nerves as he looked her over from head to toe. She wanted to look her very best, after all, this would be a day to be remembered.

"You'll do fine. Trust me." Atin spoke words of encouragement softly to her. However, he said this in such a way that only served to show that he was just as worried as she was.

Atin was dressed in a loose fitting shirt and trousers that were made out of a synthetic type of fabric from a Dao'Dao plant. When Dao'Dao was spun, it formed a very smooth and confortable fabric, shimmersilk, which adjusted with ease to body movements, and protected the wearer from extreme heat or cold temperatures. Perfect for a desert world.

If someone had told her a few weeks ago that advanced aliens were coming to Rannoch, she would have laughed at them for believing in such craziness, and told them to take a hike. But, over the last week, things had changed. The strange glowing Relay, as some of Rannoch's best scientists had figured out a century ago, began to fluctuate. It was decreed ninety-five years ago that no Quarian should meddle with the relay, as one should not play around with a gun without knowing its true intent. That is the reason why not much was known about this change, only that it was occurring. Soon thereafter a ship appeared, not one of the few Quarian ships roaming around the solar system, but an advanced ship generating massive amounts of power and energy.

Overjoyed and still startled from this unexpected event, the Search for Advanced Life (SAL) hastily attempted to contact these aliens using basic radio waves, the only means of contact from that distance away. The ship disappeared soon after they were contacted. Whether it was a result of this contact, or for ulterior means, was unknown. It was Rel's job to figure out their intent, and that is exactly what she was going to do.

News leaked of this alien encounter. Because of that, the entire populous of Rannoch was aware of the incursion and actively talking about it. Now, a week later, a second ship arrived with a specific destination in mind, given its current heading, Rannoch.

"What would Tel'Zen do? What would the Ancestors do?" She mumbled to herself as she stared in to a mirror, even though she already knew the answer to both those questions.

Atin heard her and rested a hand ln her shoulder, attempting to calm her, "They'd try to make peace with these beings. To reach out our arms to embrace them in harmony." He then commenced to brushing her long, silky, blue-black hair back; the way she expressly liked her hair to be arranged.

"And what if they don't want peace?" She asked, idly striking conversation. The particular question was a question that was being constantly repeated all around Rannoch; Quarian research in weaponry had fallen far behind, having no large scale wars, there was no reason to obtain them or to develop them. If these aliens were hostile, they'd be utterly destroyed.

"Then, we stick to our values." He responded neutrally, skirting around the question with tact. He bit his upper lip while he looked over Rel's small curved nose, and bright blue-green eyes.

"Do you think it could be the Shanaya, the rumored master-race foretold by our Ancestors?" Rel inquired thoughtfully as she threw a glance in his direction.

"The Shanaya don't exist." He declared, slightly annoyed, having heard this fable many times. He straightened up and checked some of her golden adornments. "There hasn't been a recorded sighting of a Shanaya for 48,000 years. Face it, they're a myth." He said somewhat smugly.

"Well," she sighed, "Hopefully we can get some answers."

Rel's mate stepped away from her and grinned at her, satisfied with his work as he inspected her once again, rubbing his chin.

"How do I look?" Rel said as she twirled around slowly. Her long skirt lifted slightly off the ground in response to the inertia.

"Stunningly gorgeous," he complimented, giving her two thumbs up. "As always."

"Always the charmer, Atin." She briefly examined herself in the mirror, "I'm just this beautiful because you always make me so." She said as she stroked her neat hair and poked at her wrinkle free attire.

"Who, me? I don't do anything, I'm just improving upon perfection." He said modestly with a sly smile. "And you're certainly perfect enough to impress some alien dignitaries."

Blood rushed to her face, darkening her pale white-gray skin to an almost grey-purple color. "Bosh'tet." Rel said playfully as she shook her head, an ever present grin marked her face as he tugged at her heartstrings. Ever since she had become Prime Minister, people, even close family members, began to treat her differently. Not Atin, he'd always remember who she really was on the inside; the same woman he had fallen in love with, and that, even in her position of power, the job would not change her.

The expression on Atin's face abruptly changed to a grimace. "What time did you have to leave?"

The sudden question threw her slightly off balance, but she soon regained her composure. "Midday. It couldn't be that time already..."

After quickly checking the time, Atin returned. "We should probably head out, don't want to keep 'em waiting now, do we?"

"Agreed." Rel curtly nodded. Atin led her out to their white automobile. When she left, the two bodyguards standing at the door to her bedroom, clothed in matte black suits, began to follow her outside the structure. After she entered the front left side of the vehicle, Atin proceeded to ignite the engine and, in a short minute, drive her into the city. The two bodyguards had taken positions in a seperate black automobile, and were following closely, almost to the point of practically tailgating Atin. Luckily, Atin was a good driver.

'_They're on edge_,' she thought as she glumly glanced out the nearest window. She hadn't wanted any sort of bodyguard, insisting that she did not need one. That any bodyguard would be an invasion of her personal privacy, even at the expense of being at risk. The Elders, the equivalent to a judicial system, formed by the wise old men and women of Ceystiic, expressed that they'd have none of it. That she was required to retain and keep a bodyguard with her at all times.

Ceystiic was beautiful. This was Rannoch's capital; the supposed town where Tel'Zen lived for most of his young adult and adult life. The gnawing sense of excitement in her grew as she relished in a fact: They, the Quarian race, were not alone in this marvelous Galaxy. Not only that, but also that she'd be the first to meet them, face to face.

She lazily gazed out the port side windows, elbow resting on the armrest with her chin firmly planted in her palm, watching as the city of Ceystiic flashed past her. The mirage of green, gray, and silver swirled together in a single collage as they sped past dozens of structures. '_Assuming they have something that resembles a face.._.' She thought to herself as dozens of questions dashed through her mind; Would they have a similar body structure? Would they be carbon-based? Would this environment be toxic to them? All questions for which they had no time to plan for. She just hoped that these advanced beings knew the answer to these questions and were taking every necessary precautions.

The city was a marvel. It had skyscrapers which rubbed against the very fabric of space, millions of Quarians who passed by and worked here everyday, and beautiful intricate architecture made by some of the most renowned architects. It was breathtaking. She noticed in one of the rear view mirrors that two of Rannoch's peace core were following her automobile on motorcycles. '_Looks as if the peace core is also acting on edge._' She mused glumly, thankfully she was used to this sort of thing. Then, before she knew it, she was staring right at Ceystiic's capital building and the automobile was no longer moving.

"We're here." Atin informed her with a slight smile, turning his head away from the road and back onto her, cutting through her idle musings.

They both took one last long look at each other until Rel decided that was enough. "Goodbye," she said, prompting a wave of Atin's hand. She opened her door and stepped out onto the lush green grass. Plant life existed here; Ceystiic was located at the mouth of a major river and was ripe with flood plains and had an abundance of fresh water.

As she stepped out, she heard an outcry arise from the surrounding area. She quickly spun around towards the noise, a group of protestors had formed and were being contained behind a Purple-green police line. The protestors were carrying various signs, which indicated that the aliens should be sent back to where they came from. Ten of Rannoch's peace core had assembled and were guarding the line. Them and the two who were following her were, quite literally, half of the entire police force for this city. When crime was virtually nonexistent, one did not need a large force to keep the peace.

'_How do they even know? It's only been a few hours since the aliens arrived._' Obviously, there was a leak within the very top levels of her government. '_Another thing I'll have to look into_.' She thought glumly. Her two bodyguards led her into the building, parting the doors in front of her.

She entered into absolute chaos. Analysts, language experts, and advisors were all scuttling around, preparing for what was to come. She spotted a heavy-set man, Uri'Gerrel, her top advisor, frantically motioning for her to follow him. Uri was also a family friend, given the historic friendship between the Koriss' and the Gerrels'."Three minutes!" He yelled at her. "Come with me; make haste!"

Uri was a no nonsense sort of man; he had a short beard which was mainly stubble, he was in a constant state of being clean shaven. A gold watch was worn neatly around his wrist, tightly encompassing the circumference of his wrist. He always wore a black suit with a black tie, and a pair of dark, opaque, professional-looking sunglasses. Lastly, he had, in his left ear, a radio receiver, giving him up to date vital information on reports and updates.

While Uri was a respectable fellow, he could part a crowd by the meer sight of him. He was a moutain of a man, being both abnormally strong and standing at a height of 2.1 meters (approx. 7'0" feet) even. The outline of his muscles visibly showed through his suit. He was also smart and quick minded, a very deadly, and useful, combination combined with his other prowess.

"What?" Rel said, her eyes were startled as she began to walk at a fast pace with him, swerving and maneuvering through the scores of souls. Most of them tried to avoid standing in the path of Uri lest they be crushed under his boot. "So soon? When you contacted me last time they weren't even past Kaeli'Steiz!"

"I have an answer to that. Our scientists have analyzed their ship further." He said as he handed her the electronic holo-pad, a very recently developed technology. "They have a power system using anti-matter as a means of providing energy. The engines outmatch anything we've ever dreamed of. We're not even sure if it has any sort of weaponry, our expertise in that area is extremely limited."

Rel took a quick glance over it. It was all numbers and figures. "Wouldn't the extreme gamma radiation kill them?" Rel inquired, recalling something she had remembered from a specific science journal she had skimmed over.

He shrugged, shoulders rising and falling only an inch, an almost undetectable gesture to the untrained eye. But, her eye was skillful and picked up on the gesture. "They must have some sort of radiation shielding."

"This sounds like stuff from science fiction!" She declared incredulously.

"It is." He abruptly cocked his head to the left, listening in on his radio. He promptly checked his watch, his eyes wide with anxiety, "Crap. We needa get out here, quick!" He exclaimed as he took her by the arm and hurriedly pushed open the doors to the rear of the building.

The doors parted, revealing a lush green landscape of grass, the courtyard. The perimeter of the courtyard had been cordoned off by the same twelve peace keepers which had cordoned off the front of the Capital building. They had done so, because the interior of the courtyard would be the suggested landing zone for the aliens. Or, that's what they'd been attempting to inform the alien craft. It was difficult to convey any sort of message to the aliens, they had to use only basic pictures and numbers to convey the message. It was still in doubt whether the messages had gotten through or not.

The breeze brushed softly against her hair as she and Uri approached the approximate location of the center. The tranquility of the nature surrounding her, overtook her person. The clouds floated carelessly overhead. Kaeli'Steiz's brilliant rays reflected off her skin, warming her body. The fertile green grass crunched underneath her feet. She sighed, feeling somewhat more calm.

She giggled lightly as to how silly she probably looked, standing next to a brute of a Quarian. To which, she was only at his shoulder height. '_He probably isn't the best person to have for First Contact lest they get any bad ideas_ _of us. But, he is the most capable.'_

Uri constantly kept checking his gold watch and looking up at the sky, his eyes widened behind his glasses as he focused on something. "There!" He said as he pointed up at the sky.

Rel craned her head upwards, putting a hand at her brow to shield her eyes. She squinted, surveying the sky meticulously. "Where?" She said, the light from Kaeli'Steiz had a tremendous glare effect on her, preventing her from seeing much of anything.

Uri wordlessly handed her his glasses. She shoved them onto her face, and returned her gaze onto the sky, having nothing to pervent or hinder her from doing so. A certain strange outline could definitely be seen through the clouds. Then, all of a sudden, the object broke through the cloud layer, streaking across the sky at speeds of thousands of kilometers an hour. The object in question had a very aerodynamic design with two large engines jutting out the back of it. She shot Uri a questioning look, the ship was supposed to be much bigger, or so the scanners had projected it to be.

Uri already had an answer, "The mothership is in orbit above Rannoch, this must be a short-range transport from it." He muttered in hushed tones, not taking his eye off the object, which was rapidly descending towards and approaching the courtyard. Obviously, the message had worked very well.

Someone else must've noticed the ship, because the entire crowd was pointing and shouting at the alien ship, progressively getting larger as it approached. As it got larger the noise created by the crowd crescendoed into a cacophony. Rel seemed to tense and her breathing picked up speed.

He noticed her sudden change in stature, "You nervous?" Uri asked, smiling down at Rel, breaking through his professsional attitude momentarily, and to the attitude of a family friend.

Rel forced her body to calm down by taking in several large gulps of air. Once she had significantly relaxed she returned the smile, "Yes, I'm going to be the first Quarian to ever meet another race. What they will view us as is directly on my shoulders to accurate represent our race." She sighed, turning her gaze onto the ground. "And I'm not sure if I can do it."

He chuckled, a very deep and throaty noise, "I can't blame you. I know I would be nervous too in your position."

Rel quirked an eyebrow at him, "I can't see you being afraid, or nervous, from anything."

He shrugged. "It's something neither my strength nor smarts can solve." He said, turning his head slowly towards her until he half faced her. "The unknown."

Soon, the shuttle was overhead, engines roaring as loud as the thousands of Quarians shouting simultaneously and chattering to one another. It soon began to hover in the air and started to descend onto the ground. As it descended, it blasted wind, flung dirt, and rustled grass underneath it. The first of the two forced both Rel and Uri to shield their faces, even though Rel was wearing protective eyewear. The spacecraft settled down ten meters away from her in the middle of the courtyard, gradually losing power as the engine shut down. The entirety of the crowd became dead silent, anxiously awaiting the new arrivals.

Uri whistled and with a gesture of his hand, a young female approached, one of Rannoch's top linguistical experts. She looked rather bookish, having a think pair of glasses and a semi-short skirt. She was to record what the aliens were going to say and try her best to analyze it.

Rel couldn't help but think that, this was all going to be a huge fiasco.

Nothing happened.

Unsure what to do, Rel took a step forwards. Before she could take another step the entrance on the ship slammed open. Rel gasped at what came out...


	2. Chapter 2

Trial by Fire: Chapter 2

The crowd in the surrounding streets fell into dead silence; it was so quiet that one could hear a pen drop. The first alien came into sight.

Rel took an instinctive step back, away from the ship, as an unexpectedly attractive blue-skinned alien stepped out, gracefully and with ease. It was a female, at least, she assumed it was, given its similar sexual dimorphism to a female. Her purple-blue eyes widened as she surveyed the alien's... Alluring body. She immediately regretted thinking that. '_What the hell has gotten into me_?' She said as she lightly blushed. '_There isn't something right with that alien_...'

Uri cleared his throat, meaning that he wasn't feeling very comfortable either.

Rel immediately noted some differences from a Quarian. The alien had no hair present on what Rel could see of the her body, and she had tentacles replacing the hair on her head. She had no external ears, instead she had internal ears. She had white tattoes covering her face. She was wearing a flowing robe, very similar to Rel's, except, it was mostly white and made out of a strange material which she did not recognize. The alien had a certain look about her that she had done this before, was experienced in how to deal with new alien cultures, and that she had seen the entire galaxy.

The alien's eyes ogled both Uri and Rel lecheriously, eyes sweeping over both of their bodies as if surveying a prospective mate. Uri raised one of his eyebrows in surprise. Rel was thrown into confusion.

The blue skinned alien glanced around for a brief second before another alien, a different one, stepped out. Rel had thought that all the aliens in the alien craft would be the same as the blue one. Evidently, that was not so. This alien was almost a mixed greenish-brown color, and his skin looked more amphibious and slightly slimey. He had no protruding nostrils, and strange one colored eyes. Those eyes were glittering with enthusiasm and wandered freely around the area, taking in every miniscule thing they came in contact with. Both this green alien and the blue alien had a similar form, slender and lithe.

The green alien froze momentarily as it set its sights on Uri. Its eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Uri nudged Rel. "You know, they aren't too different-" He began, whispering in her ear, as the last alien came into sight.

Rel's jaw, quite literally, dropped to the ground. A three foot tall alien, wearing a black space suit, waddled onto the ground. It was absolutely nothing like the first two, being rather round than slender. If Rel hadn't been Prime Minister or if the situation wasn't so serious, she would've died from laughter. It looked insurmountably funny, the way it walked, and the fact that it appeared more like a ball than a humanoid.

Rel, by an act of the Ancestors, managed to keep a straight face, although, she was secretly cracking up inside. However, Uri, not as tact as Rel, hid his amusement in a broad smirk.

The three aliens faced Uri and Rel in a row. They looked expectantly at the two of them.

Rel's eyes darted between the three sets, glaring at her. She had been nervous before, but now... '_What the hell do they want from me?_' She bit her lower lip, grating her teeth against her skin, her mind, racing faster than a jet. '_They want me to do something_,' she decided. '_But what?_!'

Her eyes caught some movement behind the three aliens. Two more greenish-brown amphibians were cautiously waving some glowing thing on their arms in the air and near the ground. She narrowed her eyes at them. '_Probably testing for anything toxic,_' She inferred. '_Wouldn't hurt to ask...' _

"Hello..." She said unsurely, then more confidantly, "Hello!" She directed her attention to the green-brown alien in the middle, "What are your people doing?" She asked, jabbing her finger at the two aliens behind him.

The alien looked at her with puzzled eyes, then proceeded to scratch one of its tufts. He gazed over to where Rel was pointing. After glancing between the two parties, he started conversing with his colleagues. "Aerhtyal yadgha eeyrhna sahhil?" Rel froze, she understood none of that.

"Atik's d'ahsa n'zelx." Came the blue alien's response.

_'I hope someone's writing this down...'_ She glanced over at her linguistical expert. She was furiously scribbling the entire conversation, leaving a blank when it did not agree with Khelish phonetics. A bead of sweat streamed down her forehead. She was trying her very best.

The blue skinned alien and the other two aliens, in some sort of agreement, tapped their arms and activated their own orange glowing arm-holos and held them out towards her.

Rel furrowed her brow at them, rage building inside her, this was getting absolutely nowhere. '_And to think... We were so close.' _Only now did she realize that they were so far.

"I'm Prime Minister Rel'Koris, I know you can't..." She sighed, giving up, 'what's the point?'

The green alien began furiously gesturing for her to continue, causing a quizzical expression to replace Rel's anger. Uri cordially put a hand on her shoulder. "Might as well, this may be the only chance we get."

Rel nodded, there was wisdom behind those words. They were here, now; she'd try to communicate with these aliens every step of the way. "This is the city of Ceystiic. We are a race called the Quarians. We seek to be at peace with all sentient life..."

The blue alien held up her hand, meaning for her to stop talking. She turned to the green alien, "Yu thenkk yhis wilt b enuf?" Rel's ears perked up, it was just barely understandable, but it was Khelish. A bird of hope began growing in her, singing its endless tune on its perch in the heart.

"No," The green alien said. "But it wilt emprrove en tim."

"I... I can understand you!" Rel exclaimed ecstatically, fire burning well inside her. "How did you do that?!"

"Well', it's calld, and Omni-Tuul." Said the raspy breath of the short, stubby one, pausing in between groups of words. He was indicated down at this orange arm holo. "It allows fur us too communnicete with you."

"Amazing," Uri said in awe. "And it can already decipher our language?"

"What this Omni-toul doss is it looks for patterns in phoonetrics," the green one explained, "then it transsates into r language, and allows us to speek it." The expert standing next to Rel looked awfully relieved by this turn of events. Now, she wouldn't have to guess what they were saying.

"We have mor pressing matters to attend to." The blue one said to the green one.

"Of course." He said, backing down.

"I am Representative T'Shoak. We are the Asari." The Asari said, her voice booming proudly at her heritage. "We reign from thee wirld Thessia." She said, bowing her upper chest. "We were the first race to come in contect with eny other race."

"I am Representative Menos. We are the Salarians." The Salarian proclaimed. "We hail from Sur'Kesh, a tropical world, much unlike yours." He said as sweat rolled off his brow. "We are the engineers, the architects. We were the first to contact the Asari."

"I am a Representative from the - Pitne clan. We - are the Volus." The Volus had a grating voice and an annoying tendency to stop at random places. "We are the merchants - the traders, the businessmen - Koris-clan."

"I don't get it," Uri said, scratching behind his ear. "What skills do the Asari have? You told us your skills." He said, looking at the stubby Volus and the slinky Salarian.

The Salarian turned to face the Asari. "Well, erm, they have a," he coughed into his hand. "Unique ability to procreate with any race, species, or gender." He clarified without so much as a hesitation.

"Oh. _Oh_." Uri paled slightly as the Asari gave the brute of a Quarian a lascivious wink wagged

'_That explains why she was checking me out..._' The more she learned about these aliens, the more she wanted to forget about them. She hoped that this wouldn't be a continuous trend.

"Enough, Menos." The Asari said, turning her head to the Salarian. "We have a job to do." She resumed her attention onto Rel. "We are representatives from the Council, a collective group, which seeks organization, to protect assets, to keep the Galaxy an all around safe place."

'_Finally_!' Rel thought. '_Someone is speaking my language, and they aren't squabbling like toddlers_.'

"What does the Council want with us?" Rel asked. "We don't have anything that you could possibly want, or need."

The three representatives shared one long look at one another. "Currently - we are seeking - new membership. We were hoping - That you'd be peaceful." The Volus said bluntly and slowly.

"Oh please!" Exclaimed the Asari with contempt, she jabbed an accusing finger at the Volus. "The only reason you're here, is so you and your people can scam and extort these people!"

"I do not _extort." _The Volus argued with indignation. "My people and I obtain wealth through - fair and honest business practices. It's not our fault that - some can't do business as well as us."

Uri shot Rel a look saying, '_are you sure we're dealing with aliens, and not overgrown children_?' Rel shrugged back, she wasn't entirely sure at this point.

Menos tapped his foot impatiently. "We don't have all day!" He exclaimed, turning to Rel while interrupting the Asari. "These Quarians are obviously peaceful. At least they didn't have tanks and weaponry pointed at us like that last race, the Turians."

That piqued Rel's interest ten-fold. "You mean there are _even more_ races?"

"Certainly!" He said as he listed the races off one by one. "Let me see... Oh! There's the Krogan, the Turians, the Elcor, the Hanar, the... Rachni..."

Despite what Atin had told her, she had a hunch, and that hunch told her that these aliens, could know of the Shayana. "We can discuss that a little later," she said, pushing the topic to the side. "In our lore, there was an ancient race called the Shayana. They frequented our world forty-eight thousand years ago, then vanished, without a single trace."

"Ah yes," said T'Shoak, "I believe I know what you're talking about. Except, we call them a different name." Her eyes glazed over as she thought back to what she knew. "They were called Protheans. They were a hyper-intelligent race which created the Mass Relay we used to get here."

"What happened to them?" Rel asked, dumbfounded.

"We know as much as you do," she said, shifting unconfortably at the prospect of being on the same level as this beginning race. "They disappeared. The how and why are unknown to us.

'What could cause an entire race to disappear off the face of the galaxy?' Rel had no idea, but she certainly didn't want to find out firsthand, it had to have been something terrible.

"How did you travel through the Mass Relay? Our scientists did not think of it to be possible."

"Well," The Salarian said, scratching approximately where its chin would be. "It's very complicated, it uses Element Zero to decrease the mass of the object-"

"That's impossible!" Uri roared. "The laws on the conservation of Mass -"

"Are wrong." She completed for him. The Asari smirked as she stared up at the huge Quarian, not intimidated in the slightest. "We're hundreds and thousands of years more advanced than you, and you're saying we're wrong?" She threw back her head and laughed, prompting Uri to once again fall back into silence.

"To decrease the mass of an object," the Salarian reiterated, staring wearily at the mountain of a Quarian. "And then accelerate the object to millions of KM past lightspeed."

Rel nodded, not really understanding what he was saying. "To go back to your last offer, we'd like to join this Council." Rel said eagerly, too eagerly.

"Not so fast," said the Asari, a smile marking her lips. "You need to integrate with our society before we make, _any _decisions whatsoever. This kind of stuff doesn't happen overnight."_  
_

_"_Integrate?! How are we supposed to do that without the technology?" Rel asked with frustration.

"All races undergo this trial, we tell you how the mass relays work, what is needed to build a drive core, and other various technologies, like the Omni-tool, and eezo." The Salarian explained. "If you can adapt, then you may integrate with us. A trial by fire, so to speak."

"That's it?" Uri said, short of shouting. "You came all this way, just to tell us we aren't ready yet?"

"No," the Asari said. "We came all this way so you could become ready." She took our a datapad, it looked similar to the holopads that Rel used, except more advanced. On it was various schematics for building, what she assumed, was a Eezo core.

The Salarian tapped her on the shoulder. "We have to go, we've well overstayed our welcome."

"So be it." She said before turning back to Rel. "You seem like an intelligent race when compared to others. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Rel mumbled to herself.

The Asari took one last look of Rannoch until she and her two companions boarded the shuttle. Rel and Uri raised their hands in a good-bye. "May the Ancestors guide you and keep you." They said in benediction.

"Goddess protect you." She replied as the door slid shut, sealing the occupants inside.

The engines ignited, lifting the vessel off the ground. It propelled forward into the blue sky. Rel watched it until it blinked out of existence.

"By the Ancestors," she said as she placed a hand upon her forehead, looking back at the ground. "I guess we should get this data, this technology, to someone."

"I know," Uri said. "This is a much larger picture than we'd ever expected.

Rel sighed as she turned to Uri. "But, a 'Trial by fire?' Sounds more like out of the frying pan..."

"...and into the fire." Uri said, looking right back at her.

"You said it, Uri." She said nodding her head. "You said it..." They performed an about face and headed back towards the lone building jutting out of the ground. A lone tower in the midst of an invisible battle...


End file.
